Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

published:16 Oct 2016

views:16538

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

published:03 Jun 2013

views:48945

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

published:17 Jan 2013

views:14915

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

published:27 Sep 2014

views:23168

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=4764

published:15 Nov 2012

views:2675

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

Dan Vogel

Daniel Arlon Vogel (born 1955) is an independent researcher, writer, and author on a number of works that include Joseph Smith: The Making of a Prophet. and is most known for his work on Early Mormon Documents.

In this Smith biography, Vogel argues that Joseph Smith was a pious fraud—that Smith essentially invented his religious claims for what he believed were noble, faith-promoting purposes. Vogel identifies the roots of the pious fraud in the conflict between members of the Smith family, who were divided between the skepticism and universalism of Joseph Smith, Sr., and the more mainstream Protestant faith of Lucy Mack Smith. Vogel interweaves the history of Joseph Smith with interpretation of the Book of Mormon, which is read as springing from the young man's psychology and experiences.

Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith, Jr. (December 23, 1805 – June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was twenty-four, Smith published the Book of Mormon; by the time of his death fourteen years later, he had attracted tens of thousands of followers and founded a religion and religious culture that continues to the present.

Smith was born in Sharon, Vermont, but by 1817, he had moved with his family to the burned-over district of western New York, a site of intense religious revivalism during the Second Great Awakening. According to Smith, he experienced a series of visions, including one in which he saw "two personages" (presumably God the Father and Jesus Christ) and others in which an angel named Moroni directed him to a buried book of golden plates inscribed with a Judeo-Christian history of an ancient American civilization. In 1830, Smith published what he said was an English translation of these plates, the Book of Mormon. The same year he organized the Church of Christ, calling it a restoration of the early Christian church. Members of the church were later called "Latter Day Saints", or "Mormons".

According to Smith's account and the book's narrative, the Book of Mormon was originally written in otherwise unknown characters referred to as "reformed Egyptian" engraved on golden plates. Smith said that the last prophet to contribute to the book, a man named Moroni, buried it in a hill in present-day New York, then returned to earth in 1827 as an angel, revealing the location of the book to Smith, and instructing him to translate it into English for use in the restoration of Christ's true church in the latter days. Critics claim that it was fabricated by Smith, drawing on material and ideas from contemporary 19th-century works rather than translating an ancient record.

The form "Joseph" is used mostly in English, French and German-speaking countries. The name has enjoyed significant popularity in its many forms in numerous countries, and Joseph was one of the two names, along with Robert, to have remained in the top 10 boys' names list in the US from 1925 to 1972. It is especially common in contemporary Israel, as either "Yossi" or "Yossef", and in Italy, where the name "Giuseppe" was the most common male name in the 20th century.

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 1)-Dan Vogel

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

57:27

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vogel

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vogel

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vogel

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

57:39

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

58:18

Joseph Smith's Magic Spectacles - Dan Vogel

Joseph Smith's Magic Spectacles - Dan Vogel

Joseph Smith's Magic Spectacles - Dan Vogel

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

Religious Seekers and Mormon Authority Claims Dan Vogel

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=4764

35:49

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 1)-Dan Vogel

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

published: 03 Jun 2013

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vogel

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

published: 17 Jan 2013

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

published: 27 Sep 2014

Joseph Smith's Magic Spectacles - Dan Vogel

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

Religious Seekers and Mormon Authority Claims Dan Vogel

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebo...

published: 15 Nov 2012

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 1)-Dan Vogel

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women h...

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the averag...

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

Religious Seekers and Mormon Authority Claims Dan Vogel

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church...

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=4764

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=4764

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Josep...

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

published: 03 Jun 2013

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

published: 27 Sep 2014

Joseph Smith Brings the Plates Home - Dan Vogel

Joseph Smith claimed he translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates, which he took from a stone box in the side of a hill near his home in Manchester, New York. Claiming that he was forbidden by God to show them to anyone, Smith kept the plates carefully wrapped in a cloth or concealed in a wooden box. Believers accept this as God's way of requiring faith, whereas skeptics suspect Smith constructed a set of plates that couldn't pass visual inspection. This is the story of Joseph Smith's bringing the plates home in September 1827.

published: 19 Sep 2013

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 2 - The Eight - Dan Vogel

In this video, I discuss how relying on the published Testimony of Eight Witnesses has led many to incorrectly assume the experience of the eight men was completely natural and physical. I present evidence that the eight witnesses saw the plates in vision and offer four possible scenarios how that occurred. I also discuss the apologetic resistance to new evidence regarding the experiences of the eight witnesses.

Religious Seekers and Mormon Authority Claims Dan Vogel

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebo...

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the averag...

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

Joseph Smith Brings the Plates Home - Dan Vogel

Joseph Smith claimed he translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates, which he took from a stone box in the side of a hill near his home in...

Joseph Smith claimed he translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates, which he took from a stone box in the side of a hill near his home in Manchester, New York. Claiming that he was forbidden by God to show them to anyone, Smith kept the plates carefully wrapped in a cloth or concealed in a wooden box. Believers accept this as God's way of requiring faith, whereas skeptics suspect Smith constructed a set of plates that couldn't pass visual inspection. This is the story of Joseph Smith's bringing the plates home in September 1827.

Joseph Smith claimed he translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates, which he took from a stone box in the side of a hill near his home in Manchester, New York. Claiming that he was forbidden by God to show them to anyone, Smith kept the plates carefully wrapped in a cloth or concealed in a wooden box. Believers accept this as God's way of requiring faith, whereas skeptics suspect Smith constructed a set of plates that couldn't pass visual inspection. This is the story of Joseph Smith's bringing the plates home in September 1827.

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 2 - The Eight - Dan Vogel

In this video, I discuss how relying on the published Testimony of Eight Witnesses has led many to incorrectly assume the experience of the eight men was comple...

In this video, I discuss how relying on the published Testimony of Eight Witnesses has led many to incorrectly assume the experience of the eight men was completely natural and physical. I present evidence that the eight witnesses saw the plates in vision and offer four possible scenarios how that occurred. I also discuss the apologetic resistance to new evidence regarding the experiences of the eight witnesses.

In this video, I discuss how relying on the published Testimony of Eight Witnesses has led many to incorrectly assume the experience of the eight men was completely natural and physical. I present evidence that the eight witnesses saw the plates in vision and offer four possible scenarios how that occurred. I also discuss the apologetic resistance to new evidence regarding the experiences of the eight witnesses.

Religious Seekers and Mormon Authority Claims Dan Vogel

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church...

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=4764

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=4764

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 1)-Dan Vogel

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

published: 03 Jun 2013

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vogel

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

published: 17 Jan 2013

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

published: 27 Sep 2014

Joseph Smith's Magic Spectacles - Dan Vogel

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

Religious Seekers and Mormon Authority Claims Dan Vogel

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebo...

published: 15 Nov 2012

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 1)-Dan Vogel

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women h...

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the averag...

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

Religious Seekers and Mormon Authority Claims Dan Vogel

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church...

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=4764

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=4764

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Josep...

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 1)-Dan Vogel

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

published: 03 Jun 2013

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vogel

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

published: 17 Jan 2013

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

Joseph Smith's Magic Spectacles - Dan Vogel

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

published: 03 Jun 2014

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 2) - Dan Vogel

In this video, I continue to discuss evidence for sexual polyandry among Joseph Smith’s polyandrous wives and examine some of the arguments the apologists use to escape this evidence.

published: 08 Dec 2016

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

ABO Blood Types - Calling Mormons & Indians to Salvation

INDIAN ORIGINS AND THE BOOK OF MORMON - Dan Vogel
The Nephites (Hebrews) were continually harassed by the Lamanites (Their wicked brotherin). Late in the fourth century A.D., the Nephites were driven by the Lamanites into "the land northward" where they were destroyed in a region described as having "large bodies of water" and "many waters, rivers, and fountains" (He. 3:4; Morm. 6:4), presumably referring to the Great Lakes region.
The Book of Mormon describes the Lamanites as practicing both idolatry and human sacrifice. They took many Nephite prisoners, writes the Nephite prophet Mormon, "both women and children, and did offer them up as sacrifices unto their idol gods" (Morm. 4:14, 21). And when the Lamanites are discovered by Europeans, they will still be a "dark, and loathsome, and a...

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 1)-Dan Vogel

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women h...

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the averag...

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Josep...

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

INDIAN ORIGINS AND THE BOOK OF MORMON - Dan Vogel
The Nephites (Hebrews) were continually harassed by the Lamanites (Their wicked brotherin). Late in the fourth century A.D., the Nephites were driven by the Lamanites into "the land northward" where they were destroyed in a region described as having "large bodies of water" and "many waters, rivers, and fountains" (He. 3:4; Morm. 6:4), presumably referring to the Great Lakes region.
The Book of Mormon describes the Lamanites as practicing both idolatry and human sacrifice. They took many Nephite prisoners, writes the Nephite prophet Mormon, "both women and children, and did offer them up as sacrifices unto their idol gods" (Morm. 4:14, 21). And when the Lamanites are discovered by Europeans, they will still be a "dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations" (1 Ne. 12:23).
The Nephites, on the other hand, are described as "industrious" (2 Ne. 5:17, 24). They preserved a knowledge of the Hebrew and Egyptian languages (Morm. 9:32-34). Nephi explained that he made his record "in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians" (1 Ne. 1:2). Since the Book of Mormon claims to have been written in "reformed Egyptian" characters (Morm. 9:32), some scholars have concluded that Nephi meant that he wrote Hebrew words using Egyptian script.(94) This description seems similar to the early nineteenth-century habit of comparing the Indian's language to Hebrew and their pictographs to Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Nephites also kept the "law of Moses" (2 Ne. 25:24-30) and possessed "the five books of Moses" and other Old Testament scriptures (1 Ne. 5:10-22). The Book of Mormon actually gives few details of the observance of the law. It mentions temples but not the ceremonies, priests but not their robes or temple duties. The Nephites, according to the
book, observed the Sabbath (Jar. 5) and offered sacrifices and burnt offerings from the "firstlings of their flocks" (Mos. 2:3).
The Book of Mormon has been called "the AmericanGospel" because it contains an
account of the visit of the resurrected Jesus Christ to America (3 Ne. 11-26). It describes Christ, in words reminiscent of some descriptions of Quetzalcoatl, as both a "high priest" (Al. 13) and "he that gave the law" (3 Ne. 15:5), who taught the Nephites that their posterity would assist one day in building the New Jerusalem in America (3 Ne. 20:15-22, 21:22-25; see also Eth. 13:1-12). He said that those in America were his "other sheep" and promised one day to return (3 Ne. 15:21-24). Thus the Book of Mormon solves the problem of how the gospel came to ancient America.
The Book of Mormon overtly discusses the ramifications of such ideas for early American history. It details, for example, a vision given to Nephi in which he foresees the early history of America. The vision portrays a sense of mission for America which parallels the self-proclaimed views of many Puritans and other Americans.(96) God inspires Columbus to discover "the promised land" of America (1 Ne. 13:10-12). Seeking religious freedom, the Puritans and Pilgrims are later led "out of captivity" to the New World, bringing with them the Bible which they preach to the Indians (1 Ne. 13:13-24, 38). "The wrath of God" is upon the Indians, and they are scattered and smitten by the early white settlers (1 Ne. 13:14). The Revolutionary War is won by the aid of God, and a nation under God is founded (1 Ne. 13:17-18, 30). The new nation is to be "a land of liberty" with no king as long as they obey God's commandments (2 Ne. 10:11). Again the Indians are scattered, this time by the Americans, but the Lord will not allow them to be completely destroyed (1 Ne. 13:30-32). Later the Book of Mormon returns to this topic of early American history and explains in terms which would have pleased proponents of vacuum domicilium why the colonists were successful against the Indians:
Though the Book of Mormon is perhaps harsher than Ethan Smith in its judgment of the Indians, with such adjectives as wild, ferocious, bloodthirsty, filthy, idle, loathsome, abominable, and drunken, it shares his enthusiasm for Christianizing the Indians. "And for this very purpose are these plates preserved," Joseph Smith was told in a revelation in July 1828, "that the Lamanites [Indians] might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the promises of the Lord, and that they may believe the gospel" (D&C 3:19-20; see also Enos 11-18). The title page of the Book of Mormon states that its purpose is to show the Indians "what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever." Dan Vogel

INDIAN ORIGINS AND THE BOOK OF MORMON - Dan Vogel
The Nephites (Hebrews) were continually harassed by the Lamanites (Their wicked brotherin). Late in the fourth century A.D., the Nephites were driven by the Lamanites into "the land northward" where they were destroyed in a region described as having "large bodies of water" and "many waters, rivers, and fountains" (He. 3:4; Morm. 6:4), presumably referring to the Great Lakes region.
The Book of Mormon describes the Lamanites as practicing both idolatry and human sacrifice. They took many Nephite prisoners, writes the Nephite prophet Mormon, "both women and children, and did offer them up as sacrifices unto their idol gods" (Morm. 4:14, 21). And when the Lamanites are discovered by Europeans, they will still be a "dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations" (1 Ne. 12:23).
The Nephites, on the other hand, are described as "industrious" (2 Ne. 5:17, 24). They preserved a knowledge of the Hebrew and Egyptian languages (Morm. 9:32-34). Nephi explained that he made his record "in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians" (1 Ne. 1:2). Since the Book of Mormon claims to have been written in "reformed Egyptian" characters (Morm. 9:32), some scholars have concluded that Nephi meant that he wrote Hebrew words using Egyptian script.(94) This description seems similar to the early nineteenth-century habit of comparing the Indian's language to Hebrew and their pictographs to Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Nephites also kept the "law of Moses" (2 Ne. 25:24-30) and possessed "the five books of Moses" and other Old Testament scriptures (1 Ne. 5:10-22). The Book of Mormon actually gives few details of the observance of the law. It mentions temples but not the ceremonies, priests but not their robes or temple duties. The Nephites, according to the
book, observed the Sabbath (Jar. 5) and offered sacrifices and burnt offerings from the "firstlings of their flocks" (Mos. 2:3).
The Book of Mormon has been called "the AmericanGospel" because it contains an
account of the visit of the resurrected Jesus Christ to America (3 Ne. 11-26). It describes Christ, in words reminiscent of some descriptions of Quetzalcoatl, as both a "high priest" (Al. 13) and "he that gave the law" (3 Ne. 15:5), who taught the Nephites that their posterity would assist one day in building the New Jerusalem in America (3 Ne. 20:15-22, 21:22-25; see also Eth. 13:1-12). He said that those in America were his "other sheep" and promised one day to return (3 Ne. 15:21-24). Thus the Book of Mormon solves the problem of how the gospel came to ancient America.
The Book of Mormon overtly discusses the ramifications of such ideas for early American history. It details, for example, a vision given to Nephi in which he foresees the early history of America. The vision portrays a sense of mission for America which parallels the self-proclaimed views of many Puritans and other Americans.(96) God inspires Columbus to discover "the promised land" of America (1 Ne. 13:10-12). Seeking religious freedom, the Puritans and Pilgrims are later led "out of captivity" to the New World, bringing with them the Bible which they preach to the Indians (1 Ne. 13:13-24, 38). "The wrath of God" is upon the Indians, and they are scattered and smitten by the early white settlers (1 Ne. 13:14). The Revolutionary War is won by the aid of God, and a nation under God is founded (1 Ne. 13:17-18, 30). The new nation is to be "a land of liberty" with no king as long as they obey God's commandments (2 Ne. 10:11). Again the Indians are scattered, this time by the Americans, but the Lord will not allow them to be completely destroyed (1 Ne. 13:30-32). Later the Book of Mormon returns to this topic of early American history and explains in terms which would have pleased proponents of vacuum domicilium why the colonists were successful against the Indians:
Though the Book of Mormon is perhaps harsher than Ethan Smith in its judgment of the Indians, with such adjectives as wild, ferocious, bloodthirsty, filthy, idle, loathsome, abominable, and drunken, it shares his enthusiasm for Christianizing the Indians. "And for this very purpose are these plates preserved," Joseph Smith was told in a revelation in July 1828, "that the Lamanites [Indians] might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the promises of the Lord, and that they may believe the gospel" (D&C 3:19-20; see also Enos 11-18). The title page of the Book of Mormon states that its purpose is to show the Indians "what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever." Dan Vogel

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 1)-Dan Vogel

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

57:27

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vogel

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordaine...

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vogel

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

57:39

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of...

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

58:18

Joseph Smith's Magic Spectacles - Dan Vogel

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same ...

Joseph Smith's Magic Spectacles - Dan Vogel

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

42:39

Joseph Smith's Motives - The Prophet Puzzle - Dan Vogel

This video is based on a paper delivered at the Mormon History Association in Snowbird, Ut...

Religious Seekers and Mormon Authority Claims Dan Vogel

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=4764

35:49

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that J...

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

57:39

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of...

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

46:43

Joseph Smith Brings the Plates Home - Dan Vogel

Joseph Smith claimed he translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates,...

Joseph Smith Brings the Plates Home - Dan Vogel

Joseph Smith claimed he translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates, which he took from a stone box in the side of a hill near his home in Manchester, New York. Claiming that he was forbidden by God to show them to anyone, Smith kept the plates carefully wrapped in a cloth or concealed in a wooden box. Believers accept this as God's way of requiring faith, whereas skeptics suspect Smith constructed a set of plates that couldn't pass visual inspection. This is the story of Joseph Smith's bringing the plates home in September 1827.

42:18

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 2 - The Eight - Dan Vogel

In this video, I discuss how relying on the published Testimony of Eight Witnesses has led...

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 2 - The Eight - Dan Vogel

In this video, I discuss how relying on the published Testimony of Eight Witnesses has led many to incorrectly assume the experience of the eight men was completely natural and physical. I present evidence that the eight witnesses saw the plates in vision and offer four possible scenarios how that occurred. I also discuss the apologetic resistance to new evidence regarding the experiences of the eight witnesses.

Religious Seekers and Mormon Authority Claims Dan Vogel

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=4764

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 1)-Dan Vogel

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

57:27

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vogel

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordaine...

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vogel

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

57:39

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of...

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

58:18

Joseph Smith's Magic Spectacles - Dan Vogel

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same ...

Joseph Smith's Magic Spectacles - Dan Vogel

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

42:39

Joseph Smith's Motives - The Prophet Puzzle - Dan Vogel

This video is based on a paper delivered at the Mormon History Association in Snowbird, Ut...

Religious Seekers and Mormon Authority Claims Dan Vogel

From its inception Mormonism's restoration claims were radical in nature. It was to be more than a restoration of correct doctrine or a reorganization of church government. The Mormon restoration was to be a return of the spiritual power and authority of God through apostles. Because of such radical restoration claims many Mormons tend to see their religion as springing spontaneously out of the American wilderness without roots to any previous religious movement. My purpose here is to introduce my listeners to various groups and individuals who seemed to have anticipated the kind of religious and spiritual restoration Mormonism represented.
Based on Dan Vogel, ReligiousSeekers and the Advent of Mormonism (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1988). Online text available at http://signaturebookslibrary.org/?p=4764

35:49

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that J...

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 1)-Dan Vogel

Of the 33 plus women Mormon founder Joseph Smith married, about 14 were already married to other men. This created polyandrous situations in which these women had two husbands. Some Mormon apologists have tried to defend Joseph Smith by arguing that most of the polyandrous marriages were merely ceremonial and intended for the next life only. In this the first of a two-part video, I will discuss the case of SylviaSessionsLyon, who believed that her daughter Josephine was the biological daughter of Joseph Smith but through DNA was recently disproved. This has turned out to be the best evidence for sexual polyandry. In a second video I will discuss the other polyandrous wives of Joseph Smith.

The purpose of this video will be to reconstruct the original story and restore it to its folk magic and treasure seeking context—a part of the story the average Mormon is woefully unaware.
I do not use the term "occult" to imply Joseph Smith was a Satanist, but rather that he practiced a heterodox form of Christianity that included what might be termed white or Christian magic.

57:27

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vogel

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordaine...

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vogel

When Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery announced in the mid-1830s that they had been ordained by John the Baptist in May 1829 and subsequently by ancient apostles Peter, James, and John, it was a surprising disclosure—even for those who had been followers from the beginning. My purpose here is to discuss Joseph Smith's original authority claims, to reconstruct key changes, and to suggest why the stories of angelic ordination were introduced.
This is part one of two parts.

57:39

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of...

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan Vogel

Since its publication in 1830, the Book of Mormon has been accompanied by the Testimony of Three Witnesses claiming to have seen the an angel with the plates and the Testimony of Eight Witnesses claiming that Joseph Smith showed them the plates, which they were allowed to handle. However, subsequent statements by members of both groups of witnesses indicate that the published Testimonies can be misleading and that using them to recreate the historical events behind them is a mistake. In fact, there is significant evidence that the experiences of the Three Witnesses was more subjective than their published Testimony implies and that the Eight Witnesses’ examination of the plates was not completely natural and physical.

42:39

Joseph Smith's Motives - The Prophet Puzzle - Dan Vogel

This video is based on a paper delivered at the Mormon History Association in Snowbird, Ut...

Joseph Smith's Magic Spectacles - Dan Vogel

Eyewitness testimony confirms that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon in the same manner that he once hunted for buried treasure: that is, with his brown-colored seer stone placed in the crown of his white top hat and his face snug to its brim. Rather than seeing treasures in the bowels of the earth, Smith claimed he saw luminous words on the stone, which he read to a scribe. In this manner the entire Book of Mormon as we have it came into existence. This fact conflicts with Joseph Smith's official history, which claims that he used magic spectacles—which he euphemistically called Urim and Thummim—attached to a breastplate. This video examines the historical sources and responds to recent apologetic attempts to reconcile this problem.

43:01

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 2) - Dan Vogel

In this video, I continue to discuss evidence for sexual polyandry among Joseph Smith’s po...

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel

Since the gold plates are not available for examination, the specimen of characters that Joseph Smith produced is the closest we will ever come to testing Joseph Smith's claim of having translated the Book of Mormon from anciently engraved gold plates. Are these characters traceable to any ancient language? Or are they the product of Joseph Smith's imagination?
This video is part two of a three-part examination of the Book of Mormon characters.
Part One https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xgckv-uLPw&feature=c4-overview&list=UUE7-EZ_ANHRkYHv7wCUTt0Q

36:30

Indian Origins and the Book of Mormon - Dan Vogel

The purpose of this video is to explore the intellectual and theological discourse about I...

ABO Blood Types - Calling Mormons & Indians to Salvation

INDIAN ORIGINS AND THE BOOK OF MORMON - Dan Vogel
The Nephites (Hebrews) were continually harassed by the Lamanites (Their wicked brotherin). Late in the fourth century A.D., the Nephites were driven by the Lamanites into "the land northward" where they were destroyed in a region described as having "large bodies of water" and "many waters, rivers, and fountains" (He. 3:4; Morm. 6:4), presumably referring to the Great Lakes region.
The Book of Mormon describes the Lamanites as practicing both idolatry and human sacrifice. They took many Nephite prisoners, writes the Nephite prophet Mormon, "both women and children, and did offer them up as sacrifices unto their idol gods" (Morm. 4:14, 21). And when the Lamanites are discovered by Europeans, they will still be a "dark, and loathsome, and a filthy people, full of idleness and all manner of abominations" (1 Ne. 12:23).
The Nephites, on the other hand, are described as "industrious" (2 Ne. 5:17, 24). They preserved a knowledge of the Hebrew and Egyptian languages (Morm. 9:32-34). Nephi explained that he made his record "in the language of my father, which consists of the learning of the Jews and the language of the Egyptians" (1 Ne. 1:2). Since the Book of Mormon claims to have been written in "reformed Egyptian" characters (Morm. 9:32), some scholars have concluded that Nephi meant that he wrote Hebrew words using Egyptian script.(94) This description seems similar to the early nineteenth-century habit of comparing the Indian's language to Hebrew and their pictographs to Egyptian hieroglyphics. The Nephites also kept the "law of Moses" (2 Ne. 25:24-30) and possessed "the five books of Moses" and other Old Testament scriptures (1 Ne. 5:10-22). The Book of Mormon actually gives few details of the observance of the law. It mentions temples but not the ceremonies, priests but not their robes or temple duties. The Nephites, according to the
book, observed the Sabbath (Jar. 5) and offered sacrifices and burnt offerings from the "firstlings of their flocks" (Mos. 2:3).
The Book of Mormon has been called "the AmericanGospel" because it contains an
account of the visit of the resurrected Jesus Christ to America (3 Ne. 11-26). It describes Christ, in words reminiscent of some descriptions of Quetzalcoatl, as both a "high priest" (Al. 13) and "he that gave the law" (3 Ne. 15:5), who taught the Nephites that their posterity would assist one day in building the New Jerusalem in America (3 Ne. 20:15-22, 21:22-25; see also Eth. 13:1-12). He said that those in America were his "other sheep" and promised one day to return (3 Ne. 15:21-24). Thus the Book of Mormon solves the problem of how the gospel came to ancient America.
The Book of Mormon overtly discusses the ramifications of such ideas for early American history. It details, for example, a vision given to Nephi in which he foresees the early history of America. The vision portrays a sense of mission for America which parallels the self-proclaimed views of many Puritans and other Americans.(96) God inspires Columbus to discover "the promised land" of America (1 Ne. 13:10-12). Seeking religious freedom, the Puritans and Pilgrims are later led "out of captivity" to the New World, bringing with them the Bible which they preach to the Indians (1 Ne. 13:13-24, 38). "The wrath of God" is upon the Indians, and they are scattered and smitten by the early white settlers (1 Ne. 13:14). The Revolutionary War is won by the aid of God, and a nation under God is founded (1 Ne. 13:17-18, 30). The new nation is to be "a land of liberty" with no king as long as they obey God's commandments (2 Ne. 10:11). Again the Indians are scattered, this time by the Americans, but the Lord will not allow them to be completely destroyed (1 Ne. 13:30-32). Later the Book of Mormon returns to this topic of early American history and explains in terms which would have pleased proponents of vacuum domicilium why the colonists were successful against the Indians:
Though the Book of Mormon is perhaps harsher than Ethan Smith in its judgment of the Indians, with such adjectives as wild, ferocious, bloodthirsty, filthy, idle, loathsome, abominable, and drunken, it shares his enthusiasm for Christianizing the Indians. "And for this very purpose are these plates preserved," Joseph Smith was told in a revelation in July 1828, "that the Lamanites [Indians] might come to the knowledge of their fathers, and that they might know the promises of the Lord, and that they may believe the gospel" (D&C 3:19-20; see also Enos 11-18). The title page of the Book of Mormon states that its purpose is to show the Indians "what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever." Dan Vogel

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 1)-Dan Voge...

Occult Context of Joseph Smith's 1823 Discovery of...

Evolution of Mormon Authority Claims Pt 1 Dan Vo...

Book of Mormon Witnesses - Pt 1 - The Three - Dan ...

Joseph Smith's Motives - The Prophet Puzzle - Da...

Joseph Smith's Magic Spectacles - Dan Vogel...

Joseph Smith and Other Men's Wives (Pt 2) - Dan V...

Book of Mormon Characters Examined - Dan Vogel...

Indian Origins and the Book of Mormon - Dan Vogel...

ABO Blood Types - Calling Mormons & Indians to Sal...

When the sun dims dramatically Monday morning, that would be like an entire power plant unit shutting down for the Lone Star State's electricity grid. The much-anticipated solar eclipse will wipe out about 600 megawatts worth of electricity generation from Texas' growing solar power industry, according to officials with ERCOT, which manages the Texas grid.&nbsp; ... "That is not very much," she said about eclipse's influence ... ....

Multiple media reports Thursday reported a van crashed into dozens of people in the center of Barcelona Thursday killing two and injuring several people. Local Spanish media say two armed men have entered a restaurant after a van crashed into a crowd of people, according to Reuters, and police consider the incident to be terror related. Local media reports say two people were killed instantly when struck by the van....

The number of asylum seekers who are illegally crossing into Canada from the United States more than tripled last month, according to new data released on Thursday by the Canadian government which hints at the deep fears that migrants have about the recent U.S. administration immigration crackdown ...The RoyalCanadian Mounted Police said that an additional 3,800 asylum seekers were arrested crossing the U.S ... "It's not a crisis ... ....

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The Guardian reported that police announced one person was arrested in relation to the attack on Thursday where someone drove a white van through the busy, pedestrian area of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain which has left at least 13 dead, and more than 50 injured ...Police said that the number of the dead was "bound to rise" since at least 50 people were injured after the attack, interior minister for Catalonia, Joaquim Form said ... ... U.S....

DanReese... He was called Daniel, ‘Dan’ to one and all. YoungDan’s father passed away in 1891 when he was barely 12 ... Fired by a resolute desire to make something meaningful of his life, Dan attended evening classes at the Christchurch CollegeSchool of Engineering for a period of five years under ProfessorScott ... Well, there was another facet to the persona of Dan Reese — the love for cricket....

PITTSBURGH - The 85th season for the Steelers begins with high hopes and heavy hearts ... There's optimism that this year could be even better -- but 2017 will also be a season to remember DanRooney. Steelers training camp starts Thursday, location honors Dan Rooney ... TRENDING NOW ... Dan Rooney's influence will always be with the Steelers, and in his memory, the Steelers begin their march to a seventh Super Bowl title ... &nbsp;. ... ....

PITTSBURGH - The 85th season for the Steelers begins with high hopes and heavy hearts ... There's optimism that this year could be even better -- but 2017 will also be a season to remember DanRooney. Steelers training camp starts Thursday, location honors Dan Rooney ... TRENDING NOW ... Dan Rooney's influence will always be with the Steelers, and in his memory, the Steelers begin their march to a seventh Super Bowl title ... &nbsp;. ... ....

Sen ... “The president has not yet been able to demonstrate the stability nor some of the competence that he needs to demonstrate in order to be successful,” the senator told reporters in Tennessee. “And we need for him to be successful.”. Corker’s remarks came on a day when at least two other Republican senators — Tim Scott (S.C.) and DanSullivan (Alaska) — also faulted the president ... Also on Thursday, Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, tweeted....

The bitcoin bond “brings digital currencies into the world of high finance,” said Dan Doney, chief executive officer of Securrency.Australia Is Heading Towards Legalizing BitcoinCoinTelegraphall 5 news articles ». the original source. ... ....